Expiration Date
by Laume
Summary: When the war is over, Snape has outlived his usefulness. Manipulative!butRedeemable!Dumbledore.
1. Chapter 1

Two things amazed Severus Snape.

First, that the endless war with the Dark Lord was finally over.

Second, that he lived to see it.

Not that he had a great many illusions about his future life. Only Harry Potter's testimony had kept him out of Azkaban. The boy was worshipped on a level beyond even Albus's fame in 1945. The Headmaster had managed to survive as well and shared a bit of the limelight as 'mentor' of the Boy Who Lived To Win.

He threw a few more books into his trunk. The Headmaster had certainly not wasted any time getting rid of him. He had called him into his office this morning, the first morning everyone was out of the hospital wing and he was no longer needed to brew potions.

"_Ah, Severus. Do come in."_

_The twinkle in the old man's eyes was almost blinding. He had declined a chair, having an inkling about the direction this conversation would be taking._

"_Now that Voldemort is finally defeated, we can go back to the lives we wanted to live, without the choices war forced upon us," the Headmaster said contently, "I for one am glad for it."_

"_I can imagine, sir," he muttered. _

"_You never pretended to like teaching, and I am sure you are glad to be done with it," the old man continued merrily, "I have already arranged for a replacement."_

_He paled. Despite his dislike for teaching, and especially teaching children, Hogwarts was the only home he had known since he was eleven years old. Besides that, he had no other means to generate an income. The little money he had managed to save from his salary would run out soon enough, and who would buy potions from a former Death Eater? _

"_When…when will this replacement arrive, sir?" he asked with only a slight tremble in his voice._

"_Tomorrow," Dumbledore replied, "I thought it best not to delay things."_

_No. Having him in the castle was bad for publicity. The Headmaster probably needed to be seen doing something about the horribly mean spy NOW, but he did wish the old man wasn't so…happy about it. _

He had expected it, but still it hurt. He had known Dumbledore did not truly care for him, and would discard his tool when he had outlived his usefulness, but he had hoped to be allowed some time, at least, to arrange his future.

With a heavy sigh he closed the trunk. His replacement would be here soon. He had better leave.

As he levitated his trunk, he passed the Great Hall on his way out. Dumbledore was doing announcements and bits of it floated into the Entrance Hall.

"…am overjoyed to announce that a new Potions Professor has been found..."

Swallowing the lump that suddenly seemed lodged in his throat, the ex-Professor stalked away to Hogsmeade Station, sparing only a single glance at the place he had called home for so long.

ssssssssssssss

A week in Spinner's End brought him no closer to any means of living. Through interference of, again, Harry Potter – curse the brat a thousand times – his vault had been released to him. However, the amount in it was not nearly enough to start his own potions shop, not even by mail order. He would need a good supply of ingredients for that and his budget just did not stretch that far.

Applications to work for several apothecaries or even St Mungo's came back negative. Under the terms of his release he was not allowed to leave England. The Aurors planned to check up on him regularly, to keep him from 'dark activities'. As if he hadn't seen enough death and destruction. With them constantly on his back, he could not change into an alter ego and work under that name, either.

Perhaps if he couldn't live overseas, he could still sell his potions there. It was worth a try.

sssssssssssssssss

"That was a very insensitive thing to do," Neville commented to Harry, "I mean – not that I mind having another Potions Professor, but it was very harsh to Snape to kick him out like that. I thought Dumbledore cared about him?"

Harry shrugged. "There are times when I doubt Dumbledore cares for anyone at all. It was unfair and harsh. He could at least have allowed him more time to pack and make arrangements. The man has been brewing like crazy for weeks after the final battle. Did you ever hear a thank-you in all of Dumbledore's speeches?"

Neville shook his head. "Do you think he is alright?"

"He will probably start selling potions on his own. He's one of the best brewers in Europe. After we take our NEWTs we should check up on him, see how he's doing."

"Alright," Neville agreed, then he laughed. "Never thought I'd voluntarily agree to contact Snape. But after he saved my life…"

"Yes, exactly. Even though he doesn't like us and we aren't all that fond of him, I want to make sure he is alright, so I can go back to disliking him in peace. I tried to see if Dumbledore knows where he is, but he just tells me not to worry and 'enjoy my new life', as if I didn't owe most of that new life to Snape."

"And once the commotion dies down…"

"He might well leave me to rot like Snape, yeah. Good thing I have made sure he has no say over me in the future."

sssssssssss

His savings were running out quickly. His attempts to sell his potions oversees failed. His reputation kept potential customers at bay. In the Wizarding World no one would hire him, except some Knockturn Alley shops who had some rather dark connections that he preferred to stay well away from.

In the end, he had no choice. With no papers except a birth certificate and a Ministry issued social security number, he found a job as a night guard at a Muggle factory. The pay was low as he was untrained, but his forbidding appearance, even in Muggle clothes, had persuaded his employer to hire him. So he sat long hours in an uncomfortable uniform, staring at monitors or working in secret on the Potions book he was writing. There was no hope of getting it published, but he had to keep some connection to his old art, or go insane.

Like Dickens' favourite child, nothing could describe the agony of his soul.


	2. Chapter 2

Severus sighed as he adjusted his cap and rode his bike to work.

"Merlin, how the mighty have fallen," he thought bitterly.

His time in the Muggle world had not been that unpleasant – his job paid the bills and he was no longer in danger of ending on the streets – but he missed being a wizard. He missed magic. He missed his potions. Yes, even though he hated to admit it, he missed even the Headmaster. Though the old man had thrown him aside as if he was nothing, no one else had trusted him. If he was honest he had to admit that said trust was based on blackmail more than the Headmasters confidence in his character, but still – on rare occasions he had shared something like a camaraderie with Dumbledore.

He entered the building and the small room where he and his colleague would be spending the night watching the monitors. To his surprise, Denise, his colleague, stuffed a handkerchief in her pocket the moment she noticed him. It was clear she had been crying, however.

"What is wrong?" he asked awkwardly, not at all used to situations like these.

She shrugged. "I'm being fired next month," she admitted.

"For what reason?" he enquired, "I have noticed no deficiency in your work."

"I'm too fat!" Denise cried out angrily, "I'm nearly 100 pounds overweight, Severus! They say I'm not fit enough anymore."

Severus studied the woman closely. Yes, she did rather resemble Pomona Sprout, only much taller.

"There's no way I can lose this much wait quickly," Denise lamented, "I'll lose my job! And then what? I have kids to feed."

In his mind, Severus only half heard her. "Hmm…should do…an iron cauldron…"

"Severus? What are you muttering?"

He looked up. "I think I can help you," he announced, "I need to work on something…"

sssssssss

"Harry, my boy! Studying hard for your NEWTS, I see."

"Headmaster," Harry nodded frostily, "If you would excuse me, I need to finish this chapter today…"

"You are so distant, my boy. Surely there is no reason for that?" the slight disappointment in the grandfatherly voice no longer made Harry feel guilty and he stood up.

"Unfortunately, I have to share a castle with you for a few more weeks, but I do not intend to be around you any more than I have to, Headmaster."

The twinkle died. "Harry, you must understand that all the sacrifices…"

"Yeah, yeah. For the greater good," Harry waved his hand in dismissal. "You know what, sir? People will sacrifice a lot, when they are convinced it is for a good cause. They will lay down their life for their friends if needs be. The difference is that you gave us no choice. YOU sacrificed, you decided what each of us had to give up. That is not sacrifice, that is theft."

He took a deep breath. "You are nothing but a common thief, Headmaster, who robbed me of a childhood and Professor Snape of his safety, his home and his dignity the moment you no longer needed us."

He slammed his book shut and headed for the Gryffindor Tower, leaving the dumbstruck man behind.

sssssssss

After work, Severus paid a few visits and came home with arms full of ingredients.

"Hmm…now…lets see…"

That evening, without having slept a moment, he smirked contently as he held out two bottles to his colleague.

"Here. Take three tablespoons of this each morning. One tablespoon of the green one before you go to bed."

She eyed him curiously. "What is this?"

"A home remedy. It will help you lose weight."

Suspicious, she uncorked one bottle and sniffed. "That smells like dog piss."

"Adding sugar would defeat the purpose, wouldn't it? I can guarantee you it is not toxic in any way. You said yourself that there is no chance of losing the weight with conventional methods fast enough, so you have nothing to lose, do you?"

"Good point," she sighed, "Alright, I'll try it. When we are on duty together again next week I'll let you know how the disgusting stuff didn't work."

ssssssssss

"Did you upset Dumbledore, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Probably," Harry answered, preoccupied with his book.

"Well mate, he does look chagrined," Ron commented. "Does he know yet you plan to live with us after Hogwarts?"

"He suspects it, I suppose. He may believe that I've asked your parents to adopt me."

"Haven't you?" Hermione frowned, "I thought that would go hand in hand."

"Of course not, I'm of age now, remember? No, I've made sure no one can claim guardianship over me, or somehow manage to move my majority to a more convenient age," Harry explained, "I have full control over my assets, and the only reason I will be living with the Weasleys is to experience a real, loving family life. The moment I leave this castle, a restraining order goes into effect, banning Albus Dumbledore from contacting me or coming near me unless I initiate it. The Ministry was most helpful." He sneered.

Neville grimaced. "That's the way things are now, Harry. Sorry."

"Hmm. I'm considering moving abroad after a while," Harry confessed, "at least for a few years until the worst of the commotion dies down."

"As long as you don't forget our agreement for after the NEWTS," Neville nodded.

"Of course not," Harry agreed, "The very day we walk out of here."

Hermione and Ron shared a confused glance.

sssssssss

"Well? How did it not work?" Severus asked Denise a week later, even though he could already see.

"Oh Severus, it's a miracle!" The woman rushed forward and hugged him tightly. Snape squirmed uncomfortably.

"I lost nearly 20 pounds, and I didn't even feel tired! You're amazing!"

"Yes, well. Keep using the draughts I gave you, but take extra vitamins and minerals," he instructed, "the weight loss will probably slow down after a while, but I think if all goes well, you will have lost enough weight to keep your job."

"It's wonderful, Severus. Why haven't you marketed this stuff? Alright, it tastes horrible, but it works! Do you know how many people would profit from this?"

"I – " he stopped. Muggles weren't supposed to know about magic, but he hadn't used any magical ingredients for this potion – just regular herbs and his own innate magic in the brewing process. There really wasn't a reason he shouldn't sell this to Muggles. They would think it simply a herbal remedy.

"Perhaps," he consented, and decided to take a week's vacation to brew and see if he could find some way to sell the product.

ssssssss

_TIRED OF FIGHTING THE LOSING BATTLE AGAINST THE SCALE?_

_WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT?_

_TRY THIS NEW, PAINLESS REMEDY!_

_All natural ingredients. Success guaranteed!_

Severus stared at the ad with mixed feelings. He had quit his job to brew fulltime, and happy though he was being back behind his cauldrons, he still felt restricted. Once he had developed it, the potion was relatively easy to brew – no dangerous ingredients, just straightforward brewing. The first potion did two things – it actually decreased the amount of calories that was absorbed by the body and at the same time, sent messages to the brain that the stomach was full. This caused rather rapid weight loss. The second potion, complementing it, didn't actually have anything to do with weight loss, but was a simplified Muggle version of Pepper Up and energy potions. The extra energy meant the user, apart from losing weight from the first potion, also felt well enough to become physically active. Neither potion was meant to be used for longer than six months.

He was currently working on a third potion that could be taken indefinitely and increased the body's metabolism after weight loss to prevent gaining it back.

Denise had told friends about the potion. The friends had tried it and were ecstatic. They told their friends and before he knew it, his potion was the talk of the town. It was also starting to turn a profit. An inquiry from the Ministry of Magic was conducted, but as he was not breaking the Statute of Secrecy nor selling magical items to Muggles, there was nothing they could do.

When summer approached, a Muggle company invested in his products. He had the house renovated and the basement enlarged so he could use it as his own lab. The only downside was that he alone could brew the potion. Giving the recipe to a Muggle and having them create it resulted in a disgusting sludge that only caused weight loss because the drinker was sure to lose his or her appetite due to the smell and taste. Secrecy about one's recipes was not uncommon amongst Muggles, however, and caused no major problems yet.

The day the summer holidays started at Hogwarts, he couldn't help but remember the quiet days brewing, tea in the Headmasters office and occasional walks around the lake, feeding the giant Squid. Forcing the pain away did not always work, but he would show them all, he would show the Headmaster that he was not helpless without Dumbledore's support. He would not come crawling back, even if he had to live like a Muggle for the rest of his life.

The next day, he was interrupted fairly early in the morning by unexpected visitors.


	3. Chapter 3

The day after taking his NEWTs Harry had left Hogwarts, Neville in tow

The day after taking his NEWTs Harry had left Hogwarts, Neville in tow. It had taken some time to locate Snape, but the ads all over the place had pointed them in the right direction. So at last, they stood in front of the house Harry had seen in Snape's memories. The place was certainly looking cleaner and less neglected, however.

After sharing a nervous glance, they knocked on the door.

sssssssss

Severus cursed as he rushed to the door. Who could be bothering him now? Who dared to bother him while brewing! He hadn't bought an answering machine for nothing!

He pulled open the door with some force, intent on chewing out whatever Muggle had disturbed him at his cauldrons, but was completely cut off when he saw his former students standing on his doorstep.

"Er…Hullo, Professor Snape," Harry ventured anxiously.

"We, er…we wanted to know if you are doing alright," Neville eked out.

The world that had been turned upside down more than enough lately suddenly also started to spin. 

"You what?" Severus spat, more out of habit than real malice, since his brain hadn't quite wrapped around the concept of his two most hated students showing concern for him.

"May we step in for a moment? I fear discussing things outside in a M…in this neighbourhood might be unwise," Harry asked.

Snape wordlessly let them by, until they were in the tiny but no longer threadbare and prisonlike livingroom.

"WHAT. Are. You. Doing. Here," the former Potions Professor snapped.

"We thought the way Dumbledore treated you was disgusting, and we worried about you," Harry began bravely, "we agreed that after our NEWTs, we would search for you to see how you were doing. We may not have gotten along at school, Professor, but you did save my life countless times and Neville owes you, too – so we want to make sure you are well and happy. Or as happy as anyone can be after all that's happened to you."

Severus closed his eyes briefly. "I do not need charity, Potter. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. So you can tell your precious Headmaster that I did not let him ruin me."

"That is going to be difficult, considering the man isn't allowed within a hundred yards of me," Harry smirked a little, "you are not the only one who is free from him now."

"I am not 'free from him', Potter," Snape hissed, "if he finds out what I am doing for a living he will undoubtedly do his best to ruin me. Your coming here brings unwanted attention."

"What is it that you do here, Professor?" Neville spoke up for the first time since they entered the house.

"I am not your Professor anymore, Longbottom!" Snape roared, "stop calling me that!"

"Ah, force of habit," Neville shrugged, appearing much calmer than he felt, "but what DO you do here, sir?"

"Nothing that concerns you," the snarl was full of mistrust, "do you think I would give you any more reason for a good laugh at the dinner table with the rest of that family of yours?"

Harry shook his head. "I understand why you don't believe us, sir. We truly were concerned. It's fine if you don't want to tell us how you support yourself, we just want to be sure that you are."

Snape stared at them, disbelief warring with anger in his eyes. Finally he sighed. 

"Well, as long as you dunderheads managed to find me here, you might as well stay for tea and tell me how and why you got a restraining order against the Headmaster, Potter."

Harry sipped the conjured cup of tea before answering. "You know as well as I do that Dumbledore groomed me all my life, preparing me to sacrifice myself. Putting me with the Dursleys to make me feel worthless, then favouring me at Hogwarts and telling me I had a destiny. I have no proof, but I am not all that certain he did not know about Sirius being innocent of betraying my parents. Even now he would try to control my life, and I will not let him."

"You survived, Potter."

"I did. No thanks to him. He has been planning my death for many years, yet what did he attempt to remove the Horcrux from me? Why hide the one item that Voldemort wanted more than anything else in Hogwarts in my first year, with traps that a first year could get through? No offence to your potions, sir, but leaving a riddle with the clues on the table with the potion is a tad bit retarded."

"If in second year, Hermione could figure out it was a basilisk roaming the school, then a Wizard with 150 years experience must've realized immediately. Either he, Hagrid or Professor Kettleburn. You would think that between the entire staff, someone must've read the clues as she did. Moaning Myrtle had been in the bathroom for over sixty years, he KNEW she died the last time the chamber was opened, but didn't bother talking to her to see if she knew anything. All those things make me distrust the Headmaster. I do not want him near me, especially not when he is trying to mooch off that stupid attention people keep paying me. It's not that I don't want to share, I just want to be left alone."

"What he did to Slytherin at the end of first year was cruel, sir," Neville offered, "I was really proud back then – I didn't get many points, as you may recall. It wasn't until later that I realized how horrible it must have been to the Slytherin students."

Snape sighed. This conversation was not going the way he imagined. Potter and Longbottom were being entirely too reasonable and contrite. How could he rant and rave at them when they fully admitted to all the things he wanted to rant about, before he had a chance to do so?

"I hope – I hope I am more like my Mum, in the end, sir," Harry said, looking at Snape with those green eyes that made it impossible to sneer.

"You might well be," Snape finally muttered. "If you want to know, I have developed a weight loss potion. It is quite popular among Muggles, and contains no magical ingredients. I have my own business and I do quite well. So your concern was unnecessary."

"Oh?" Neville perked up, interested, "What kind of ingredients? Anything rare?"

With a tired sigh Severus named a few of the rarer ingredients required, that he had to order abroad at quite a large fee.

"Really? I grow those in my greenhouse," Neville said, "I'll send you some."

"I don't need charity, Longbottom," Snape spat.

But in the long year that he was Headmaster, Longbottom had lost his fear for him. The young man simply shook his head. "Not charity. I want to send you some samples to see if they meet your standards. You are importing them now, aren't you?"

Seeing the confirming nod, Neville pressed on. "That is likely quite expensive. If you like the quality of my products, my prices are probably a lot lower than what you pay for importing them."

"I use dry products now," Snape mused, "but fresh would probably be better. Very well, you may send some of your samples, and a pricelist."

"Thank you," Neville nodded as if a great favour was bestowed upon him. And it probably was. Harnessing his pride was no mean feat for Snape, after all.

Harry frowned. "Could I buy some of your potion?"

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Planning on becoming more emaciated than you already are?"

The former Boy Who Lived grimaced. "I've only just started to put on weight. No, I want to send some to Dudley – my cousin."

The Potions Master studied him. "From what I understand, your relatives were hardly kind to you, Potter."

"Well, no. But Dudley didn't really know any better, and once he grew up a bit – before I left for the last time, when George…well. He was okay to me, and we call occasionally."

Snape went downstairs, and moments later three vials were pressed into his hands. "Here."

"Great!" Harry started to fish money from his pocket.

"Never mind, Potter. I suppose that cousin of yours is related to Lily in some way, too, even if he is Petunia's brat."

"Thanks – I owe you again. Let me know if the Ministry are giving you any trouble, or Dumbledore. You know how much I enjoy being a pain in the arse to incompetent Ministry personnel."

"Indeed I do, Potter. Indeed I do."


End file.
